Harness: Fresh off the break, Mark MacDonald has come out guns blazing

It was roughly 11 months ago when driver Mark MacDonald was sidelined following an injury that occurred last July as a field of 2-year-old pacing colts was heading to the gate at Saratoga Harness. While MacDonald was fully rehabbed and ready for a return late in February, the Covid-19 virus put an end to those dreams. Fortunately, MacDonald’s patience has paid off and last week when the Meadowlands reopened, MacDonald had the focus and horses to get the job done.

"I'm extremely grateful to have trainers like Ray Schnittker, Paul Kelley, Mark Ford and John McDermott putting me up on some very nice horses," MacDonald said this week, reflecting on his start. "I mean, when you look at getting the chance to drive an Open trotter like Obrigado and then sit behind a Meadowlands Pace-type horse in Captain Groovy, you have to be thankful."

MacDonald’s road to recovery has been elongated by circumstances, but he believes the extra time has put him in the best shape of his life. "Actually, the surgeon did a great job and fixed a separate issue. I had struggled with my shoulder for a long time," said MacDonald. "In addition to the rehab, I've been helping with the 2- and 3-year-olds in Ray Schnittker's stable since I got the go-ahead in February."

That perhaps explains just how MacDonald was able to get back in the bike and drive the aforementioned horses with extreme confidence, winning with Obrigado for Kelley in 1:51 2/5 on Friday night. Captain Groovy scored by open lengths on Saturday night, posting a 1:49 3/5 career-best clocking, with an exceptional 26 4/5 last quarter while completely in-hand.

"Ray (Schnittker) had his 3-year-olds ready to qualify before the shut down and we would be in the third leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes by now," said MacDonald as a way of explaining just how ready Captain Groovy was.

This Saturday, MacDonald will guide another sophomore pacer from the Schnittker stable and he’s extremely excited about the prospects of Lake Charles. A fourth-place finisher in last year's Governor’s Cup, Lake Charles returns to the Meadowlands for Saturday’s eighth race, a $15,750 purse event where he drew post two.

"I trained him yesterday (Tuesday) and he was incredible," said MacDonald. "In his qualifier (May 29 at Goshen’s Historic Track), he was solid. He paced in 1:54 2/5 and I know time doesn't mean very much, but he drew away from Branquinho like he was a $2,000 claimer, and that horse finished second in last year’s Rooney."

MacDonald was forced to make some decisions on Saturday but stayed with Schnittker’s stock when there was a conflict. When it comes specifically to Lake Charles, MacDonald is excited to be along for the ride wherever it takes him. "I'm going to try to race at The Meadowlands as much as I can this year and drive in the New York Sire Stakes," MacDonald said. While he expects to be at Yonkers initially when the track reopens, racing on weekdays only, MacDonald suggested he wouldn’t be a regular on weekends once Yonkers returns to its full schedule.

The 41-year-old reinsman posted three sub-1:50 victories over the last two weeks at The Meadowlands, with 4-year-olds Hurrikane Emperor and Hickfromfrenchlick capturing qualifiers at The Meadowlands in 1:49 4/5 each during the span. "Both are really nice horses. They qualified at Goshen but needed to get stretched out," said MacDonald, who was more than happy to add some speed to their final preps. "They're both eligible to race in the Graduate next weekend (June 21) at Tioga. I hope they get into separate divisions," MacDonald said, wishfully. "I know that Hurrikane Emperor has the Meadowlands Maturity on his schedule."

MacDonald believes both 4-year-olds have the preparation and quality to go beyond their age grouping. "I think they'll be able to race at the top level," MacDonald said.

MacDonald has driven more than 6,200 winners during his illustrious career, but picked out one of the many great horses as his favorite. "I'd have to say that Sportswriter was my all-time favorite. It’s hard to drive a horse that wins one $1 million race. He won two, and that’s pretty special," MacDonald said. Sportswriter captured the seven-figure Metro in 2009 as a juvenile then came back the following year to score in the North America Cup for MacDonald and trainer Casie Coleman.